Delicooks

Food for thought, thought for food

Photographer by profession, he confesses to a sentimental relationship with cooking. For him, it’s a way to express himself, to recall childhood moments. His other vocation, philosophy, also influences his outlook on eating and cooking, something that is patent  when he talks about a new proposal for Delicooks.com: Food for thought, thought for food.

You’ve been involved with Delicooks for some time, and now you’re starting a separate section. Are you a professional cook?
No. For me, cooking is a mere a hobby. Any hint of obligation and I lose the emotion I feel for cooking. Even in the kitchen of the studio where I work environment, there is a senseof harmony that disappears once I feel an obligation.

And what is your profession?
For money (I don’t  like the term "profession"), I work in digital post-production: I’m one of those Photoshop guys.

So at Delicooks you work on the photos.
Exactly. As a teenager I got my hands on a program, CorelDraw, which I used to play around with. My vocation back then was philosophy, but I gave it up through lack of interest in the study required. In photography I saw a quicker way into the job market, to economic independence, that also provided a pleasant and creative environment. The thing is, nowadays, my passion for photography is inseparable from my work obligations. And I’m very demanding with my own work, I can’t relax, and I don’t enjoy photography like I used to. Fortunately I have managed to continue enjoying philosophy and cooking.

And where does your interest in cooking come from?
Initially, from watching my mother cook. Both she and my father worked and the kitchen was where we all spent the most time together. As soon as I could reach the stove, my mother started giving me cooking responsibilities, teaching me the simple little things. Now cooking relaxes me and gives me back that feeling of family togetherness.

Let's talk about the new project ... What's it about?

It’s a section within the site with a recipe for the week: it’s accessible (in every way: easy and cheap), healthy ... There are recipes for recycling and reusing food, which value food and where it comes from. Without wanting to sound pretentious, I’m trying to raise awareness, about healthy cooking, with simple, cheap and environmentally friendly recipes. We’ll also have profiles on Facebook and Twitter.

How did the idea come about?

The idea sort of emerged in the studio of photographer Becky Lawton (where I work and where we have the Delicooks.com headquarters) without us noticing. The kitchen at my flat here in Barcelona is really tiny and I asked Becky if I could make a tiramisu in the kitchen of his studio. Agnes (her assistant) was with me and she suggested we photograph the tiramisu to have material in stock. Then, Becky saw the pictures, liked them and asked me to keep coming up with material for the site and that’s how we decided to do this.

What kind of audience are you aiming at? What do you offer them?
One with a sense of humor who really believe in what I am trying to convey, who understand the points being talked about in the kitchen and who might not be aware that cooking is a process involving many energies.

Energy?
Foods are generated from a series of energies (sun, water, etc.). Then you apply other forms of energy (heat, pressure, etc.) giving us our food, which in turn gives us energy of different types (such as moods like humor or calm, or physical conditions such as fatigue, etc.)..

Are you going to be yourself?
No. When something is intended for a general public, I think it will be easier to come up with a character who can look at things from the outside, without getting too involved. I will be giving my own point of view, but filtered through an avatar, so to speak, for a broader audience. So people won’t be able to put a face o  the cook and we’ll thus avoid prejudices and  stereotypes. This, together with what I said in my previous response, means this won’t be a list of mere recipes with ingredients, step by step and point by point.

And what will the focus be then?
It’s all about humanizing the kitchen, to convey food how it is cooked rather than what is cooked. So you’ll find in the list of ingredients things that are very important and usually overlooked, such as love, patience and smiles. That’s why nobody cooks as well as mothers do.

Well, we can’t wait. Good luck!